Column: There’s much amiss with our domestic bliss

The pet peeves that can turn a loving relationship into a war zone and make couples stop kissing and cuddling and start growling and grappling have been revealed.

Philip Weir

Published:15:00Sunday 16 July 2017

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You can forget conflicts abroad. It’s all kicking off at home.

Britain’s bedrooms and bathrooms are now bolstered battlegrounds; it’s a case of brandished cutlery and thrown crockery at dawn in the country’s kitchens; and our living-rooms have become absolutely livid rooms, where you could cut the explosive atmosphere with a TV dinner knife.

And who’s doing all the fighting? Mr with Missus; partner with partner; and half with other half.

Yes, there’s much amiss with the nation’s current state of domestic bliss.

Well that’s the squint picture on the wall above the fireplace, according to a light-hearted survey by online bed sales specialists Time4Sleep.

So just what are the escalating pet peeves that can turn a loving relationship into a war zone and make couples stop kissing and cuddling and start growling and grappling.

The researchers started in the UK’s boudoirs, their clipboards supported by pillows, where they found that when it comes to things that make people feel down when under a downie, snoring tops the list, with over 28 million people (44 per cent) admitting being irritated by the noisy sleeping habits of whoever they double up aboard the divan with.

Other bedroom habits testing the nation’s relationships include; hogging the bed sheets (23 per cent), leaving the bed unmade (16 per cent), eating in bed (15 per cent) and having different sleeping patterns (15 per cent).

Of course, it’s not just bedroom habits that are turning people from matey to hatey.

If you’re looking to dodge being strangled by a soiled knee-sock, it might be best to stop leaving dirty laundry on the floor (29 per cent); to start doing your share of the chores (28 per cent): to stop leaving dirty plates and glasses around the house (26 per cent): and to start doing the washing up (27 per cent).

Of course there is always room for compromise, with the most promising area for detente being how good you are at the selfless surrender of the TV doofer - 27 per cent of those quizzed said they found it hard to let their partner have their own way with the remote.

Other relationship compromises include agreeing to cook and clean more (27 per cent), having to change eating habits to suit a partner (19 per cent) and spending more money (17 per cent).

Age was also a factor in determining what was annoying when it came to bedroom habits. Over a third (35 per cent) of 18 to 24 year olds felt that eating in bed was their partner’s most annoying habit, while all other age groups, ranging from 25 to 34 to 65 and over, agreed that snoring was their biggest gripe.

In terms of gender differences, the study showed that women are most likely to feel annoyed with their partner for not doing their share of the chores (35 per cent) whereas men get most annoyed with their partner for not doing the washing up (26 per cent).

Women also felt that the biggest compromise they had to make when they moved in with their partner was not being able to watch what they wanted on TV (30 per cent) in comparison to men, who felt that their biggest compromise was that they had to start cleaning more in the house (28 per cent).

For more advice and top tips on how to get a better night’s sleep, visit Time for Sleep